Modulation is the act of translating some low-frequency or base-band signal (voice, music, data) to a higher frequency. Why do we modulate signals? There are at least two reasons: to allow the simultaneous transmission of two or more baseband signals by translating them to different frequencies...

This Brochure focuses on making better RF counter measurements by understanding the effects of counter architecture; recognizing the difference between resolution and accuracy, and scheduling calibration to match performance needs. In addition, the impact of timebase options is discussed along...

Current analog mobile communications systems have reached capacity limits in several large population centers. Future systems will utilize Time Division Multiple Access techniques to increase capacity. These new digital modulation techniques are difficult to characterize using conventional test...

The Keysight 53310A is an easy-to-use, inexpensive tool for displaying time interval measurements versus time. Any repetitive pattern in the jitter is immediately apparent. The 53310A's analysis features readily give peak-to-peak and periodic rate information. Taking all of these clues together...

The built in fast histogram capability of the Keysight 53310A is a simple and easy way to analyze pulse width encoded data. In less than a second, it takes a hundred thousand pulse width measurements, rearranges the measurements in value order, then displays how often a given value occurred.

The Keysight 53310A's ability to measure and display a signal's continuous frequency over time makes dynamic frequency analysis of PLLs easy. A direct measure of the PLL's capture and tracking range is obtained by monitoring the output frequency while the PLL is forced to go in and out of lock. A...

The Keysight 53310A allows for an easy-to-use single pass technique for displaying the VCO's output frequency versus time. It makes rapid, high resolution frequency measurements in a back-to-back manner. This yields a full analysis of a VCO's step response in a single pass. For applications that...

The use of digital modulation in mobile communications systems is growing rapidly. Information in the form of 1s and 0s is often transmitted as two different frequencies. This is known as minimum shift keying or GMSK if the data is filtered. Measuring the deviation accurately on a bursted signal...

The Keysight 53310A's fast histograms make it easy to get complete view of clock jitter. The shape of the histogram indicates the nature of the jitter. For example a Gaussian-shaped distribution would suggest the jitter is random. Statistics are calculated automatically to provide the mean...

This Application Note describes the Keysight 53310A's ability to measure and display a signal's continuous frequency over time makes dynamic frequency analysis of radar pulses easy. Views of single-shot chirp linearity are obtained by measuring the continuous frequency of the IF chirp. The chirp...

This Application Note addresses considerations for the RF designer. It presents the Keysight 53310A with Option 031, which was developed
specifically for digital RF communications measurement needs, offering significant advantages over past techniques.

This Product Note provides four pertinent hints for making better microwave counter measurements, describes the advantages of using a microwave counter, and deals with the unique measurement problems created by the advancement in counter technology.